Probe donation for Jonathan’s re-election, group tells EFCC

The International Society for Social Justice and
Human Rights has called on the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission to probe the
sources of funds donated by governors and
supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan for the
presidential campaign.
Governors in the Peoples Democratic Party,
businessmen, multinational organisations and
interest groups donated the sum of N21.27 billion
to support the re-election bid of President
Jonathan.
But the Chancellor of the ISSJHR, Dr. Jackson
Omenazu, described the development as a
flagrant abuse of the Electoral Act that made it
possible for political parties to embark on
fundraising to prosecute their campaigns.
Omenazu, who spoke in a telephone interview
with our correspondent on Wednesday, explained
that the donation of such a huge sum was aimed
at gaining a ‘criminal advantage’ over other
political parties.
He observed that 80 percent of the donors had, at
one time or the other, been entrusted with public
funds and added that it could be possible that
some of the donors could have mismanaged
public funds kept in their care.
Omenazu said, “It is a flagrant abuse of the
country’s Electoral Act that made it possible for
parties to embark on fundraising. From our
investigation, 80 percent of the donors are those
who are being entrusted with public funds and
may have mismanaged public funds.
“What they (PDP governors and other donors)
have done is to morally kidnap Mr. President so
that he will not be able to ask them to give
account of how they manage public funds at their
disposal.
“The PDP governors should have donated from
their individual pockets and not money belonging
to their states. It is a flagrant abuse of the
required financial regulations and there is a need
for EFFC’s intervention.
“Mr. President’s silence is a tacit approval of
corruption. Political parties’ fund raising is
supposed to come from the grassroots. Doing it
the way it was done by PDP governors and other
groups is to gain criminal advantage over other
political parties going for the same position.”
Omenazu maintained that it was wrong for any
political party to ‘coerce’ public office holders and
state governors entrusted with public funds to
embark on such a spending spree.